The Ocean Story

Gr 1—3—Endpapers filled with images of ocean life are the auspicious beginning of this beautiful eco-tale. "Why is the ocean so big?" a youngster asks the adult holding his hand at the shore. "It needs to be big to hold a story that is so very old." Seven poetically explains the water cycle, then explores some odd creatures of the deep, each labeled. Finally, oil drilling's pluses and minuses are touched upon, and readers learn that the "ocean story is a delicate one." This splendid call to stewardship is gloriously illustrated with paintings, each a gift of color and texture that encourages lingering. The spread filled with jellyfish nearly glows, and the various depictions of rainfall bring home the scope of the topic. This book is a perfect blend of poetry, visual art, and science.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA